A Lively Crimson
by Mark-Kris Robin
Summary: When one has another person's blood on their hands, it is because they had killed that person. When I have another person's blood on my hands, it is because I have saved that person. Or at least, that was my resolve through this crazy thing called life that constantly schemes against my own everything.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter ONE**

"_Brother, where are we going?"_

_The young man laughed. "Training, of course! C'mon! Levi's gonna be mad if we don't get there in time!" He grabbed the little girl's hand and pulled her along at an even faster pace._

"_B-Brother! You're going too faaaaaaaaaaast!" She complained, but she ran as fast as her tiny little legs could carry her._

_They soon reached the designated place in no time: a large clearing hidden inside one of the many woods dotting the inside of Wall Maria. A teen was tapping his feet, obviously growing impatient with a specific pair of siblings. He saw them and waved. "Hey! Evans! Ever! What took you guys so long?"_

_The older boy just laughed again. "My little sister didn't want to come along, so I decided to drag her along." He looked back at the face of his little sister's pouting face and instantly frowned. "What's wrong, Eve?"_

"_You're so big and fast that I couldn't keep up!" She pouted, annoyed at her cheerful older brother._

"_Then you'd like this! What we're going to do with you for the rest of your life will help you grow tall and strong a lot," he replied, elbowing his best friend, adding, "Unlike him."_

_The short, black-haired youth shoved him away. "Geez. Friends aren't supposed to insult each other like that…"_

"_It's called teasing, dude," he countered, and then faced the girl. "So, Ever, are you ready to train and grow strong, just like the Levi and me?"_

_She looked up with renewed eagerness, curiosity, and determination. "Yeah!"_

_Chuckling, Evans shot a wire at one tree, then another wire from his Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear at another tree not three meters away. "Hey, Levi, you think this is too wide?"_

"_It's fine."_

"_But she's just six…"_

"_Hey, don't blame anything on me. This was all your idea."_

_Shrugging and sighing, he brought out some seemingly strange equipment for the little Ever and helped her put it on._

"_Brother, what are all of these belts for?"_

"_Well, y'know how us soldiers at the Survey Corps wear all of these belts for the Maneuver Gear?"_

_Ever nodded in remembrance, and Evans and Levi started her training on the 3D Maneuver Gear, along with some hand-to-hand combat, training that Ever had always kept to her heart since the-_

* * *

I opened my eyes and saw a bleak stone wall.

So that was just a dream. I wished it was never a dream. Or a memory-dream, or whatever people would call them.

I closed my eyes again, trying to remember everything I could about my older brother.

He was Evans Forest. A cheerful, chocolate-eyed brunette that was fiercely loyal to what and whom he believed in, including Levi and me. It was without saying that he was also very caring, kind, and loving. I've overheard from his comrades that he was always there to raise moral for them all. He belonged in the Survey Corps with Levi. Evans also used to be one of Levi's accomplices and was an expert thief before getting caught by Colonel Erwin. Not that Brother taught me to steal. I did that by myself, and I was pretty sure that he would ground me if he was here right now.

No. I wanted him to ground me. That way, it provided proof that he was still here. Alive. Taking care of the both of us. We were both poor, but happier than any rich man inside Wall Sina; that was what he said.

I remembered his voice, how it was firm and even a bit scary and commanding when scolding me, the lightness in his voice whenever he played and joked around with me, the determination when he talked about his dreams about learning about the outside world and seeing everything in it.

I remembered the day he left, when he told me that he would see me soon and that he expected a good dinner of roast chicken from me.

I remembered when the few men that returned alive the year before after an espedition with nothing more than the necklace that I gave him when it was his twenty-first birthday, an arm, HIS arm, and his green cloak that sported the sign of the Survey Corps on the back.

They buried it two days later, letting me keep his old cloak. I couldn't react at all.

Something burning rolled down my cheek, and when I brought my fingers up to it and tasted it, it was my own tears.

I wish my brother was here to race me, to train me.

Shaking my depressing thoughts away, I got up from my usual sleeping position; slumping against the wall, my head down, the bag of books kept right next to me, sealed with leather bands, pieces of cloth, and anything else that would take a thief a really long time to untangle, unlock, and unchain. Of course, I would know what would exactly keep a thief troubled with such knots, locks, and other nick-knacks (can't believe I just thought that). Even I had trouble opening my own bag sometimes.

I flipped the faded green cloak, now more like a cape, if anything else, and stood up and stretched, yawning all at the same time.

"Hey! Look! It's a chick!"

I looked to my left and groaned. After all, I was still technically a child, being only ten years old.

Oh well.

I boredly looked at the group of 15-year-old teens surrounding me."Whaddaya want?" I slurred, still a bit tired from my sleep. It was still very early morning after all, maybe four to five from the position of the sun in the sky.

"Well, just checkin' ya out…"

Stupid perverts.

I kneed the closest one to me on his groin and climbed up to the rooftop. I have to admit, not only do I have excellent balance, but ever since my brother taught me the basics of the 3DMG, I've been an avid climber and an enduring runner…

"Hey! Get back here!"

I childishly stuck out my tongue at them and jumped from rooftop to rooftop, reaching towards the market. Jumping down at an alley, I counted off my money, noticing that I had barely enough for one meal. Sighing, I walked down the nearly-empty streets and ended up at the door of one of the few bakeries in Shiganshina: Lucy's Bake Shop.

I steal a lot of things, but money isn't one of them.

I whistled a small fanfare, hoping that my eagle would come over soon. Who knew that scary people could be out this early in the day?

She flew over and perched on my head, giving a small, drawn out cry, like if she was yawning. My eagle was easily larger than any other bird that existed inside the walls, reaching well over a meter in length after just two years. She was almost fully grown, but still had a juvenile attitude of her, acting like a little baby chick all over again whenever I gave her treats and gently preened her hair.

Evans and I both named the great bird Liberty when she was still an egg, lying on the ground, waiting to hatch.

We both were the only family we have left.

I walked inside the bakery and greeted the baker, Lucy, with one of my rarer, warmer smiles and set right down to work.

"I want two batches of biscuits and maybe a dozen or so loaves of bread, Ever!" She yelled out for me.

"Alright," I replied, getting an apron on, washing my hands, and beginning to bring out the necessary ingredients when I spied them on the table. "Gee, what brought you to your nice mood today, Luce?"

She beamed at me with an ecstatic voice, answering excitedly, "I'm finally going to go out with my crush this evening."

I nodded and begin to mix in the dry ingredients, shooing Liberty away into a nest at a corner that Lucy was nice enough to make.

Although she had no place as a shelter for me (I can't very well sleep in the kitchen of the bakery, eh?), she always allowed me to spontaneously appear in her bakery and work in the morning hours before giving me my pay. Sometimes, she would even sneak a piece of meat or two once a month or so for liberty. To me, Lucy was one of the only friends I have left in my life.

Hours later, the biscuits piping hot, the loaves all sold, I collected my pay, grabbed a messed up loaf of bread, and waved to Lucy. Liberty flew after me, scaring quite a few customers. I giggled and walked down the streets of the market, looking across at both the familiar merchandise and the newly imported ones from deeper inside the walls, just overall enjoying my noontime meal.

Until THEY came.

Which I meant the usual neighborhood noontime gang, unlike the morning gang that I encountered earlier this morning. It isn't the Titans, okay? That's just plain ridiculous.

I waved at them, determined to have my day NOT ending up being depressing, unlike so many of my other days on my life. Unfortunately for me, life had always tried to screw me up.

They began chasing after me, knowing I had a fresh bag of cash in my pocket. Relocating the loaf of bread from my hand to my mouth, I climbed up a set of uneven bricks on a house and hoisted myself up to the roof. I swallowed the bread and stuck out my tongue at the boys until they finally were smart enough to figure out that they could pelt pebbles at me instead of uselessly waving their hands at me like they're saying, "Hi there!" Which, in my opinion, makes them looks pretty stupid.

I evaded the small projectiles and whistled for my eagle to come over. The boys scattered in fright at the sight her shadow from her large, majestic wings. She perched at my forearm and I petted her head in thanks.

I love her.

I ran from roof to roof with Liberty flying overhead, looking out for any fights to break up. If the soldiers from the Garrison couldn't -no, wouldn't- do their job, then I will!

My eagle squawked and dive-bombed at an alleyway. I followed after her, jumping down right next to two, three guys beating up a blond.

"Hey."

They all turned to look at me and paled. "It's the Demon!" They instantly started to back away from me, but the sight of a mad, brown-haired boy with an emotionless dark-haired girl trailing right after him made their eyes widen even more than necessary. "Dammit, it's Mikasa!" They sprawled right past me in terror. Usually, I would grab their collars and bang their heads on the wall a good number of times before letting them go, but I was too busy laughing at them, so I let it slide. They had enough fear for a day.

I looked back at the small, blond boy, now surrounded by the other two kids. Satisfied, I turned to walk away, revealing the Wings of Freedom on the faded, green cloak's back.

"Hey!"

I flipped my head back. "What is it, kid?"

The person who called for my attention, the brunette, had a small frown on his face, although I sensed the slight playfulness in it. "Aren't you just a kid yourself?"

I shrugged in response. "It doesn't matter. Anyways, what did you want?"

At my question, I could literally see the eager shine in his eyes. "Thanks for standing up for my friend. And you know that's the signature cloak of the Recon Corps, right?"

I sighed. "Yes, I know. What about it?"

"Where'd you get it from?"

My eagle landed right next to me and glared darkly at him right after he asked the forbidden question. I furrowed my eyebrows and turned away. "My brother," I simply replied.

Great. Now my day is ruined all thanks to that idiot.

I heard him being scolded by the girl for being nosy and bringing up a sensitive subject, and soon, they both started to quarrel between themselves. I ignored it, not willing to help them any longer. Liberty understood my mood and slowly hovered over me, creating a nice, convenient shadow over me, letting everyone else know that I was in a bad mood.

I sat myself at an empty seat on a bar while my eagle perched at an empty chair next to me, preening her feathers. I "opened" my bag (or more like unlocked, unknotted, and unzipped it), took out a book, and began reading it. To most, I was reading about the history of the walls. However, being painfully clever so as to not get caught by the military, I revised the title to make it seem like so when I was actually reading about a part of the outside world: something that was called "rainforests"; large, moist forest with all kinds of life, supporting most of the world's species of animals. Even to my large, accepting mindset, that was really edging the line between reality and fantasy. A single forest almost covering outside countries that contains so many different kinds of animals and plants?

Unbelievable.

Just like that gigantic Titan that was more than 50 meters tall.

What I first heard was the thunderous, booming sound. Closing my book and resealing my bag (fine, I'll use that verb from now on), I ran outside and was immediately greeted with a gruesome sight that I was all too familiar with when I spied them over the walls.

A Titan. One of THEM.

Giving a loud, short-lived shriek, I ran past it as fast as possible, directly to the inner gate.

What? Anyone would be scared in such a situation, even me.

As I was running, I saw a felled Garrison soldier's 3DMG and an idea began to form hazily as I equipped it the fastest I could. It was a bit too big, but all I needed as a fast, dependable way to get out without pushing through the large, panicking crowds. Not that I wasn't since I could feel my heart beating a mile a minute, but I did my best to do everything I could as calm as possible.

Which is pretty hard considering the situation right now.

I saw men, women, and children being eaten by the monsters right and left, but I knew I had to run as fast as I could, or use the 3DMG if necessary, or else I would die too.

And then Levi would get really mad. Which would get REALLY scary.

I dodged another Titan in my way and skirted around several alleys, thankful that I was nerdy and insane enough to memorize all of the streets in Shiganshina during my childhood. However, during my escapade, I encountered a HUGE roadblock. And I wasn't kidding about the huge part either.

A monstrous, hideous, psychopathic-looking 15-meter tall was facing me directly, looking as if it was contemplating on how to eat me.

How nice of it to provide me with some valuable living time.

Assess the situation: I'm alone with 3DMG gear a bit too big for me that may or may not hamper me with rusty skills, and let's not mention that there's a gigantic Titan about to kill me. Lots of buildings and other things to snag on to. No help around me, no other way to escape.

Conclusion: Fight.

Silently, I latched onto wall after roof, building after shack, grudgingly slow in my opinion, until I was right behind it. I flipped my body over to face him and crossed the two blades, driving all of my power down at the nape of its neck, killing it almost instantly.

Almost.

Right before dying, it swept its arm around at me, as if to swat me, giving the hint that it was an abnormal. I mean, what normal Titan would act like that?

I barely dodged its last attack. The arm landed on the roof of a wooden shack, sending splinters of wood flying all around.

Remember when I said that life loved to screw with me? Well, here's a more dramatic example with it.

A particularly large splinter connected with my right eye, stabbing it right through and ultimately destroying my eye, all while my brain registered a cringing, lightning-like _pain_ _inside_ my head.

I cried out and doubled back in pain on the roof where I landed on after my attack. Wishing for it to stop, I ripped out the splinter with the eye. There was one last piercing pang of pain, and then it stopped entirely with the exception with a small ache and a ghost-like feeling where my eye was.

Grabbing the first piece of cloth I could feel with my left eye squeezed shut, I ripped out what I guessed was a good-enough length and messily wrapped it around my eye and my head.

Aware of my knew-found weakness, I began to use the 3DMG to scale the wall that was close behind me. Landing on the other side with a rather loud _thud_, I looked around, noticing my now limited sight range. I cursed at this new fact.

I looked at the last boat that was to ferry the citizens on away. People were begging for the soldiers to lower the ramps for them and some were desperate (and insane, although I'm pretty sure I was even more insane for the attack I pulled off earlier) enough to try to jump onto the boat. Some succeeded while others lost their grip, footing, or just missed their jump and fell into the river below, never to reach back up onto the surface.

"Hey! You! The girl with the 3DMG!"

I looked at the direction of the voice and found its owner at the roof of that last boat.

"Get over here!"

I did as he told and soon, I was on the roof with him, already starting to sit down when I realized that my legs were wobbling and feeling like snow when it's half melting, half solid.

I used my one eye to look at the man who called me over and may have saved my life. He had light, blond hair that was tied into a short braid behind his neck, his bangs unkempt with even a small strand sticking out. He looked physically strong, yet had the glimmer of wisdom behind his eyes.

At that moment, I finally remembered.

Getting myself into a near panic, I gave a large, long, loud whistle, hoping that Liberty heard it. I completely lost track of her while running away from the Titans, dammit!

A few, agonizingly long moments later, the large, majestic eagle was right by my side again, perched on my shoulder and gently preening my hair in order to calm me down.

Thank God that at least I didn't lose her.

"Are you both okay?" the man asked. I nodded, too much into shock to respond properly. He patted my head, then lowered his head into my eye level, grimacing immediately at the sight of the bloody, bandaged space where my right eye used to be. "I'll get your… eye checked up later. Right now, just rest.

I willingly relented and leaned against the kind man's shoulder, relieved at the kindness that he showed me.

I'll trust him. For now.

I closed my eyes and rested.

No.

_Eye_.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. *peers* I don't think I've written this much so enthusiastically... I just love SnK/AoT ever since I've started watching it. I'm also going to buy the first volume of the manga if possible this Saturday! Yay!**

**By the way, non of this is edited/revised, so I apologize for any mistakes in my writing. **

**Remember, the only reason I'm here is to improve my writing, so criticism and/or advice are greatly appreciated. Reviews are good too!**

**Edit I: changed a detail of Evans's death and physical details of Ever's savior.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"_Hey. Hey. Wake up, girl."_

I turned in my sleep and snuggled deeper in between the soft thing covering me and supporting me below.

Wait. There's never something soft on the streets.

I immediately snapped my eyes open, then tried to open my right eye when I realized it was still shrouded in darkness. Then, the memories of Shiganshina hit me back all over again, making my heart ache.

Come to think of it, I didn't see Lucy escape. Or anyone else I kind of personally knew.

An indescribable feeling tore at my heart, and I dove into the covers on my bed, not caring that I was in somewhere strange that I didn't recognize.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

I looked over to where the voice came from (it was my right, which made me feel really frustrated) and saw a familiar face. I just couldn't place where I had seen him from…

"You just passed out on me right you got on the boat, all along the ride, and even to the next day. It's about four o'clock right now. By the way, you're in my brother's house, so don't worry. He's a good friend of mine."

Ah. He was the guy that saved my life.

"Thank you for saving me, sir," I quietly thanked, still mostly shocked by what had happened yesterday. "I don't think I'm ready to face the day though…"

"It's okay, kiddo. By the way, the name's Edmund Edwards, but you can just call me Edmund," he introduced himself.

"I'm Ever. Ever Forest. And I apologize for imposing on you like this…"

"No, it's fine. C'mon, let's get out of bed. You slept past breakfast, so my brother made brunch for you. For a guy, he's a really great cook!"

I had to crack a smile after Edmund's statement. "Guys can cook really well too, you know, just like how girls can shoot a gun really well if people would just allow them…"

Hearing this, Edmund gave out a loud, hearty laugh. "HA! Well, I can agree with you on that. Anyways, just get up. I'm afraid we don't have much since we have this irritating food shortage…"

"It's alright, sir."

After he excused himself from my borrowed room, I looked around and saw the sleeping form of Liberty right beside my head on the bedpost. My bag was right at the foot of my bed, unopened and not messed with.

This is one nice guy with one nice brother. It just shows you that although almost everyone in the world is complete idiotic jerks, you can still find a small pocket of generous humanity with people if you're lucky enough to somehow find it.

Despite all that had happened the last several hours, I smiled.

Properly dressing myself and splashing a bit of water from a washbasin I found at a table, I took note of the fact that this Edmund had a brother that was pretty well off.

I finished my brunch and told them that I'll be outside. Edmund insisted that he would escort me, which fired off a debate between us why he should and shouldn't.

This eventually ended at a tie: I can go out, but his brother, Alvin, had to accompany me around. Annoying, but if I get in trouble, I'll be fine.

Why?

Well, Alvin IS from the Military Police after all… At least he's one of the nicer, smarter, and caring ones…

* * *

I walked back and forth under the shaded section of the food storage house, bored out of my mind. It was now later in the morning, maybe about eight o'clock.

Did I mention that I was bored out of my mind? At least I got a really interesting job from Alvin.

I walked around the courtyard where the people were being handed out food by the soldiers and saw fights breaking out every single now and then. I ignored them, already used to the scene from the streets of my old home.

Shiganshina. I'll never forget the memories I made there.

I turned my head to the right to slightly to shake some hair from sticking to my neck, catching the smallest glimpse of… something. I turned completely around to gain a better a look. It could have been anything: a fight, a heated argument, but the last thing I would have expected (at least, in my opinion) was a man beating a boy up.

Angered, I stormed over to the offender, only emotionlessly, half-noticing the parting crowd before me.

I can only imagine how peeved I looked.

"What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Think. You're. DOING."

One of the two men (both soldiers, to add on to my disgust of them) turned to me and spat out, "None of your business, One-Eye. No get going!"

Usually, my right eye would twitch at the cruel nicknames that people sent me, but… Well… You know the situation… So my right eyebrow twitched instead. I continued with a firm voice that would have been almost impossible for any ten-year-old to possess, asking, "Not until I know the situation here. What did the boy do to provoke you?"

Probably mad that a kid was calmly *coughcough* standing there and interrogating them, the other soldier decide to shove me down.

I sidestepped to the right, dodging his initial attack, but then was mysteriously knocked down by an unseen force.

Oh. Right.

Stupid Titan for causing the utter destruction of my eye.

So that was how I ended up sprawled across the floor with two soldiers assaulting me. The "beat-you-up" assault, I mean, not the… other… one…

All in all, it wasn't a very pretty sight.

"Hey! You two!"

The two soldiers stopped their relentless blows at me. I opened my eye just a bit and saw their heads turned upwards, their eyes wide in fear in the very scary MP in front of them.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Alvin yelled, scaring the both of them half to death. They stammered and tried to get out a really lame excuse, but they both still got kicked on the rump and dragged out the courtyard. Sighing, I stood up slowly, cringing at every bruise in my body.

"Are you okay?" A small voice asked me.

I turned to my right and immediately recognized the small, blond boy. "Hey… aren't you the guy that got bullied by those other guys and got saved by your friends?"

His eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, yeah! I remember you! Thanks for helping us out…"He trailed off and stared at my face-

My eye-patch. No duh.

"Don't worry about me. I have… friends that can take care of me."

"N-No… It's just…"

"About my eye, I had to rip it out when it got stabbed. No more explanations."

The blond boy nodded his head in reply. A familiar feeling of protectiveness washed over me, and I cracked a smile. "Anyways, is your friend okay?" I asked, motioning to the brunette that had an indescribable expression on his face.

"I… I'm fine," he responded.

I nodded in satisfaction and walked away from the open area and into the general district of Trost, having enough of the fights I constantly pick with other people just to protect the victims.

A long time ago, I would've used words to settle conflicts, but the constant ignorance of people have led me to use violence instead.

It wasn't the best option, but it seemed to be the only successful one for now.

* * *

_A few days later, I had to work in the fields by the order of the other soldiers, much to the displeasure of Edmund and Alvin, but I obeyed nonetheless, knowing better than to get in major trouble with military. The experience of doing farm work was completely new to me, but I eased into the alien lifestyle quickly, making the constant working hours more bearable._

_The following year, the King launched an expedition involving 250,000 men to retake Wall Maria. Unfortunately…_

* * *

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"It's true. She's going to the campaign. I know what you're thinking, brother, but you know that we can't just rebel against the King's direct or-"

"King's direct order my ASS! Ever is NOT going out there and dying in the maw of… of those monsters!"

"Ed, I don't like it any more than you do, but there's nothing that we can do!"

I crept up to the living room in the wee hours of the morning, praying that the brothers wouldn't hear me eavesdropping on them.

"Al… I'm going with her."

This time, it was Alvin's turn to yell at Edmund.

"No you're not! If that's the case, then let me come too!"

What were they talking about? All I heard was my name, and then they started yelling at each other.

"Ever, get out from behind the door and get in the living room," Edmund ordered.

Crap.

As I walked inside, I opened my mouth to apologize, but Edmund's hand cut me off.

"I won't sugar-coat this, so just get ready to hear me say this." Alvin paused.

"I'm waiting," I piped up after getting tired of the uncomfortable silence that hung in the air.

"You're getting sent to an expedition outside of the walls in response to the King's order to reclaim wall Maria, which would probably be a failed expedition, which means that you would most likely die."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. I knew something like this would happen soon. "Let me guess: Too much people, not enough food, so let's send out people to do something that's seemingly glorious. If they win, yay; if they lose, oh well. Am I correct?"

No one responded to my question for its obviousness.

"Okay. Where do I go?"

My question obviously shocked the two brothers. "W-What?"

"It's not like I have any other choice, right? Either way, I'll die by the military, die by Titans, or somehow miraculously come out alive. And, in my opinion, I'd rather choose the choice that has at least a little bit of a good outcome, even though it would mean dealing with impossible odds."

Edmund nodded in agreement and stood up. "Get dressed. I'll get a set of Maneuver Gear set for you."

As I started to leave the room to change into another set of clothes, I was stopped by the combined voices of Edmund and Alvin. "And Ever?"

I looked back and answered. "Yeah?"

"Just remember; if you manage to survive and we're not there, remember: do what you think is right. In the most desperate moments, act from the heart." Edmund then laughed. "Cliché, but it's true."

I turned down the hallway, blinking back the tears threatening to pour from my lone eye.

* * *

I shifted around in my borrowed set of 3D Maneuver Gear and lightly played with one of the sword's hilts.

It is time.

The gates opened, and with Edmund to my right and Alvin to my left, the three of us marched out into the expanse behind Wall Rose. Just before we went beyond the wall, someone grabbed my right shoulder. I whipped around, surprised at the sudden contact, and then relaxed when I saw the kind face of an old man walking behind me. "Sir, you are much too old to be here…"

The grandfather shook his head. "I went so that my grandson didn't have to… But I need to thank you for helping Armin and his friends. I can tell you are gifted with both strength and maybe even words…" I flushed at his thanks and compliment.

"S-Sir… Ah… You're welcome… And thank you for the compliment," I stammered, giving a small smile for him, I turned back to my front.

I know now. I need to kill them all. Every single last one of them, until I either die or am bathed in their blood…

Yes… Their blood will be all over my hands… I swear it!

Right after the gates closed behind the last of the drafted men on this expedition, I knew that I may or may not get out of this mess alive.

But I knew that I will take as many Titans down with me as possible.

With renewed vigor, I raised the loudest, fiercest war cry I could shout out, and soon, others rallied with me, attracting the attentions of a few titans. The soldiers went immediately to work while the ordinary men did whatever they could to help: setting up cannons, firing at the Titans' eyes with their own guns, setting up obstacle courses for the monsters to slow them down, anything.

As for me, the battle was over as soon as it began.

I lept out with my 3DMG with Edmund and Alvin tailing me, sailing through the houses that were, for some reason, mysteriously close to the gates. Men were slaughtered right and left from the Titans, being eaten, stomped on, ripped apart, and any other gruesome way of death that I wouldn't want to explain for the moment.

I stopped at a rooftop, took in a deep breath, and whistled as loud as I could. As usual, Liberty came as I requested, and without a single order from me, she demonstrated our teamwork by effectively clawing out the eyes of a Titan. I get behind its back and prepared to slice the nape of its neck like always…

But something got a hold of me waist down.

I screamed in alarm and looked down to see a hand clutching me tightly. I whipped my head around to the right and got a close-up of a Titan's face that would make Hanji scream in excitement. As for me, I did it the old-fashioned style.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

I cut off the fingers holding me and launched to the nearest things I could land myself on, but then crashed onto _something_.

I am really starting to hate these scenarios.

I slumped down, my body refusing to obey my mental command of "OPEN YOUR EYES, STAND, AND GET OUT OF HERE!" A gigantic hand clamped around me and started to squeeze me slowly to death.

If I am to die, then can I at least die painlessly faster?

"HYAAAAA!" I saw but a flash of silver before a crescent of flesh flew into the air and Alvin landed right below me, catching me as I fell. "You okay?"

I nodded, embarrassed about my slip-up. "Yeah. I think I'll be fine…"

I looked up at my hovering eagle, noting the fact that she was bravely defending the area around me, even though it would probably be for a lost cause…

Alvin grabbed my hand and ordered, "Ever. Let's go." I nodded, not wanting to be of any more trouble for him, or Edmund, or anyone else for the duration of this expedition. I got myself up on a roof and eyed a nearby Titan, making note of his position.

I attacked.

His eyes shifted and after catching a glimpse of me, caught me by my upper body. I was immersed in darkness, and I couldn't see anything, or hear anything… I panicked and thrashed as I felt the large hand squeezing me, hearing both of my shoulders crack as I tried to scream in pain, only to bit my tongue instead. It then suddenly let go of me, and I fell roughly onto the ground, hearing another sickening crunch.

I was in pain. Everywhere. Pain.

I tasted the blood dripping out of the corners of my mouth and licked it up, vaguely noting the metallic taste. The crimson liquid cleared my head, and I slowly tried to stand up, only to fall down again from pain that originated from both my shoulders and my right leg.

I am SO screwed now.

Why? Why was I so cocky? I knew that my one eye could prove to be a problem in the battlefield, but… I was now out of commission… I'm dead meat… Literally…

I heard the dying screams of men and woman alike that were to die soon at the hands (or feet- why am I making such stupid jokes at a time like this?) of the Titans.

"Ever! Ever! Are you okay? Answer me!" A voice-Alvin- demanded.

I weakly nodded in response, softly whispering to him, "It hurts everywhere…"

Al's eyes widened, then narrowed in determination. "Alright, then. I'll put you somewhere safe enough, then have someone else take care of you."

"B-But… There's nowhere safe in this hellhole…"

Alvin's head lowered in sadness. "I know. But we still have to try, don't we?" I nodded in agreement. He picked me up, bridal style, then launched up to another rooftop and set me down. I saw Ed there, just setting down after another kill. He turned around and looked at me, then gasped. "Ed! What happened?" he asked, taking my limp, weak, frail body from his younger brother's arms.

"She's heavily injured. Her right leg's fractured so much that I think she'll live with a permanent limp for the rest of her life, and both of her shoulders are broken…" He looked up, a gleam of determination in his eyes. "Ed, get her back inside the wall, or inside a building, or up a tree-anywhere! I'll clean a path for you!" Edmund nodded in agreement. Of course, I'll never know what happened next in this pit of blood, pain, and despair.

I blacked out.

* * *

_Eventually woke up with pain all over my body. For the longest period of time in my life, I thought of no one but myself and my own pain. My shoulders and left leg hurt worse than Hell, and there was a piercing throbbing in my head._

_For days on end, I laid in the infirmary, drifting in and out of sleep, not really hungry, not really thirsty, not really doing anything, just… just existing._

_When I was finally conscious for more than two hours a month later, I tried asking everyone who survived if they had seen two golden-haired brothers. At first, they were confused, but when I mentioned their names, they all shook their head in sorrow and said that they never came back inside Wall Rose._

_After both of my shoulders and my leg set, the doctors threw me out of the hospital, saying that they have no more time or resources to take care of me any longer._

_I didn't respond. Didn't put up a fight. There wasn't anything else to live for anyways._

_Why does this always happen? First Evans, then Levi, then Edmund and Alvin, then Liberty… And probably a lot more people in between._

_It's official now. I no place, no person to call home._

_After that, day after day, my days consisted of only surviving, stealing what I can, begging, anything so that I could be alive._

_But was I really living? Even Liberty left me three months afterwards, probably being tired to all extent of my constant depression._

_Will there ever be hope for me again?_

…

_After half a year of the failed expedition to attempt to retake Wall Maria…_

* * *

"Hey."

I looked up, probably with a dark expression, from my crouched position. Two boys stood over me, the darker-skinned one holding out a hand to me. They both looked very exotic, the lighter-skinned one having a look that can be called "Asian" (although I thought they all were extinct, except for me and that other girl that was accompanying… Armin, was it? And his other friend. Why remember that now, I will never know.) while the one with darker skin sporting a very faint mustache.

I didn't reply back.

"It's okay. We're here to help. In fact, we have a lot of other friends that can help you too. We saw those Wings of Freedom in your back, and we thought that maybe you knew the Survey Corps," The Asian one assured me. I blinked in remembrance of the familiar name.

"Are… Are you part of the Survey Corps in any way?" I asked softly. They both looked at each other and laughed.

"Nah. We're not old enough yet, but registration is in half a year for military training."

I perked up at the unexpected news. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. Are you joining?"

"I… Yeah. Once my wounds heal, I'll join," I responded with the most determined voice I could muster.

The two boys smiled. "Great! Anyways, come with us! I'll tell the others that we have a guest that will be staying with us for the next six months!"

I looked at them in confusion. "Who are those o-" I paused and smacked my face with my hand, then winced from the pain that shoulder. "That was stupid," I stated bluntly.

Laughing, the darker-skinned boy picked me and supported my shoulder while the Asian boy supported my other one. "C'mon. We're going home."

Home…

That sounds nice.

* * *

**A/N:**

**That was the worst hint of another anime I could've ever possibly put there... And just as a warning here, I'll do a lot of stuff AoT/SnK style. (Also known as introduce a new character, and then kill them off in the next few chapters.)**

**I'm SO sorry for torturing you guys like that.**

**Also, another note- I suck at fight scenes. Sorry.**

**Anyways, I am SO SO SO SORRY for the late 3-week time-span between the previous chapter and this one. Parent's restrictions, school, being distracted, etc. I have no better excuse... ;_;**

**But yeah. Ever's pretty helpless right now with just one eye, two healing shoulders, and a permanently lame right leg. The shoulders will heal, of course, but what challenges will be out there for our dear Ever to face? And who are those two saviors? And did Liberty really did just abandon Ever, or was there a hidden reason behind her leave? I'm putting too much questions for you guys.**

**As usual, reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Previously:_

_Laughing, the darker-skinned boy picked me and supported my shoulder while the Asian boy supported my other one. "C'mon. We're going home."_

_Home…_

_That sounds nice._

**Chapter 3**

"My name's Ever," I introduced. The two boys took turns carrying me during our long walk to the current Southern Survey Corps' HQ. Currently, it was the dark-skinned boy who held me bridal-style.

"Mine is Judah Bautista," he said.

"And my name is Isaiah Tearlach," the Asian boy introduced.

I nodded slightly, and all of us fell into a comfortable silence.

We reached the HQ and immediately, both of their shoulders tensed up. "Damn! We're WAY behind time!" Both exclaimed in unison. Then, they shivered in fear together. "We're going to get killed..." I chuckled, then motioned for Isaiah to knock on the door. He did as such, and an amber-haired girl opened the door a few moments later. "State your business- Oh! Judah and Isaiah! Who do you both got there?"

"She's a girl that probably has ties with the Survey Corps." He held out the old, faded cloak that I took off earlier on.

"Hm… Oh well. Both of you, escort her to Commander Erwin's office. I'll tell Levi that you've arrived. He's already mad that you're an hour late." The last statement made my two companions groan.

They stepped inside, and after sneaking through some awfully familiar hallways and a set of stairs, we reached Erwin's office.

"Say, Ever, does any of this look familiar?" Isaiah asked me.

"Yeah," I responded.

Judah knocked on the door once, twice, thrice, and after a moment of annoyed silence, he was about to knock again when it opened, making the end result a red fist-shaped mark of red on a very annoyed commander's face.

"M-My apologies, sir!" Judah stammered, his face red with embarrassment as Isaiah laughed out loud while I chuckled softly.

Erwin Smith just sighed. "Why must you do this all the time…"

"Because you never answer…"

Erwin shook his head and asked him, "What's your reason for being here?"

"Well, we found a homeless girl that may or may not have connections with the Survey Corps. Either way, she needed help anyways. She was pretty helpless when we found her."

And for the first time, Erwin really did look at me. His eyes widened and he managed to sputter out one name; MY name.

"E-Ever?"

* * *

"… and so, that's how I managed to survive up to this point." I looked down, not willing to meet a certain father-ish figure in the eye.

"Ever Forest, I… I really regret the decision that I let Levi make even more so now. If we had known this was what would turn out…" Erwin began, but I interrupted.

"It's alright, sir. It was because I was forced into such a life that I can now truly know how to survive, whether it be inside the walls… or in the Outside."

My statement sent all three people in the office, Judah, Isaiah, and Erwin, into a frenzy.

"Whoa, settle down there! What did you just-"

"W-Wait, WHAT?!"

"Do NOT be absurd, Ever!"

I sighed in exasperation. "Wasn't it obvious enough? I've wanted to join the Survey Corps since the very beginning. By the way, I need crutches. Got any?"

After all three of them calmed down, Erwin then gave a trademark smirk of his that only his higher ups could ever be privileged with. I immediately groaned in exasperation. Again.

"Don't say it. I'll be fine and on my way, I guess." With two confused expressions that each of the boys shot at me, I stood and painfully clobbered out of Erwin's office and down the hallway. My right leg sported a pang of pain every step it took and both of my shoulders ached, but I was in the best condition I could ever have, mentally, in… well… months.

Time flies by really fast, doesn't it?

I took a breather half-way through and sat down. I opened my bag and took out a book that had no print on it-a new journal that I never had the urge to right in until right now. I took out a worn-down pencil and lightly scrawled out ideas for a new song, cursing my aching shoulders all the while.

"Hey, brat, what are you doing here?"

I looked up and wasn't surprised to meet up with the owner of the voice, Levi Lancer, Humanity's strongest soldier, and all of that other nonsense. But, to me, Levi will always remain as my best friend, even though he's a huge jerk.

"Hey, Levi. Judah and Isaiah were nice enough to bring me here," I greeted coldly.

"Get up. The floor's filthy. Dinner's already started, and starving is hardly an option here."

I ignored him.

"Look, I know that you might still be angry, but it's the best way to live. If you are to join the Survey Corps, then you have to know the basics of survival." Levi then added another statement with more emotion, his tone softer and warmer. "I just don't want you to die that soon outside…"

I sighed. "Jerk." I put away my journal and pencil and painfully stood up, but then was suddenly lifted into the air. "Levi!" I shouted.

He gave no outward emotion.

"Levi! I'm not a weak little eight-year-old now! I'm nearly fucking twelve!"

"That potty mouth will land you in trouble with Evans, you know."

"You curse all the time too!"

"Shut up, brat. Be grateful that I don't call you shitty."

I sighed in defeat while I let Levi carry me bridal-style to the HQ's mess hall. He kicked the door open with a loud "BANG!", earning the attention of several people.

"What, you shitty brats?"

Everyone immediately turned around and minded their own business while Levi put me down on a table and slid a bowl of stew to me. Giving a nod of silent gratitude to him, I slowly spooned the stew into my mouth and put careful measures to eat as slowly as possible, savoring the taste. Ignoring my body's pleas to eat faster, I continued eating at that slow pace until I was done.

A light-brown-haired man slid across Levi and asked him a question that nearly sent me choking on my last bit of food. "Hey, Levi, who's this chick you brought over oh-so-graciously?"

Levi sent him a harsh glare that made the other man shiver slightly, replying a bit too protectively for my likes, "Oluo, Ever. Ever, Oluo Bozado."

I nodded at Oluo. "Hello."

"Where's she from, anyways? Does she even have a reason for being here?" he asked bluntly, but I couldn't really blame him. He had never seen me before, after all. Then again, I hadn't seen him before either, which meant that he probably recently joined the Survey Corps.

Yes. Three years is a short time in a soldier's eyes. Am I soldier? I may not have the training of one, but maybe I have the mentality equal to one.

Enough philosophy, Ever.

A woman, one with a face that I could recognize, turned around from her table and glared at Oluo. "How dare you speak to Major Evans Forest's younger sister like that! If he was still here, he probably would punish you for saying such offensive words!"

I could see the man getting yelled at visibly cringe. "Sorry, sorry…" he softly apologized, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, and returned to his own table with a bunch of other men holding in their smirks.

The woman gave me a small smile and returned eating.

Soon, another person sat next to my left. I looked at her. She had ginger-colored hair and soft amber eyes. She greeted me with a small "Hey."

I smiled a bit. She was one of those people that made me instantly smile, no matter the situation or what I was feeling.

"Hey," I replied.

"So… You're Major Forest's younger sister, right?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm sorry about your loss…"

I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply a few times before replying. "It's… It's alright. He died how I knew he had always wanted to die: in the outside world, another sacrifice for humanity…"

The girl nodded slowly. "I'm Petra Ral, by the way. You're ever Forest, right? Let's be friends."

I was taken aback by Petra's words. How, and why, was she so willing to call me a friend even though we had known each other for only a few minutes?

Just as I was about to reply back, the door opened quietly, and a black-haired woman, medium-height, medium-built, and very pretty, stepped into the room and silently closed the door behind her. Many of the soldiers in the mess hall stood up in attention and saluted, even Levi. I saw Judah and Isaiah at another table watch their friends do the same, and then they awkwardly saluted too. Other people soon followed suit.

"Good evening, Second-in-command Katarina Lancer," a voice greeted the woman.

"At ease, men."

Everyone sat back down, the newer, unfamiliar people soon whispering among themselves. I caught a bit of their conversation while I put away my dishes.

"THIS is the famous second-in-command of the Survey Corps?"

Someone made a soft catcall. "She sure is one hot chi-" His face then proceeded to be nailed with a fork, the blunt side of course.

"Brat?"

"Y-Yes, s-sir?"

"Shut the fuck up or else I wouldn't hesitate to kill you, got it?"

With a very terrified expression, he squacked out (yes, SQUACKED) out a "Yessir!" and fell back on his seat.

I sat back next to Levi and gave him a raised eyebrow. "What was THAT for, Levi?"

He "hmphed" and turned his head slightly while the Commander, sitting right across from him, laughed. "Possessive as ever, huh?"

If even possible, I saw a light blush on his cheeks. "A-Anyways, how's Eren?"

Commander Lancer smiled and replied, "Cute as ever. He's sleeping right now." At first, when she said "cute as ever", I thought she had meant me, but after thinking for a moment, I face-palmed at my own stupidity.

Finally noticing me, she looked at me and asked, "Say, who's she, Levi?"

"Ever Forest, Evans's younger sister."

"O-Oh…" She looked down for a bit, and then looked up and held out her hand. "I'm Commander Katarina Lancer. Nice to meet you, Ever."

I shook her hand. However, I was still puzzled by her actions with Levi… and his reactions towards her. "Say, Mrs. Lancer, what is your… relationship with Levi, should I dare ask?"

Laughing, she stood up and cleared her throat. Then, in the loudest voice possible, she announced right out loud, "Excuse me, all men and women of the Survey Corps! Just in case you don't know already, this little cute shorty here called Humanity's Strongest, Levi Lancer, just so happens to be my husband, so if you girls and gays touch him, I won't hesitate to toss you out of the window and watch as you're getting trampled by horses, 'kay?"

The last statement made many people in the mess hall tremble, whether it's from fear or the disgust for her very disturbing choice of words, I will never know, while Levi just sighed.

"What was that about me being overprotective?"

She laughed yet again as she stood down, ignoring the awkward atmosphere in the room. "Ah, that was just a joke."

Just then, the door to the mess hall slammed opened, interrupting the awkward silence, and a very familiar auburn-haired woman questioned in a loud voice: "Ever? Where?"

I caught the glimmer of silver on a chain on the woman's neck, and I remembered.

"_Hey, Brother, you look really happy today!" a not-so-little girl said cheerfully to a man._

_He smiled widely and threw his hands up into the sky. "Yep! I'm a very happy engaged man to the best girl in the whole wide world!"_

_The girl's eyebrows went up instantly. "What is 'being engaged', anyways?"_

_The man, her brother, Evans, rubbed her hair. "It means that I'm nearly married, silly."_

_The girl pushed her brother's hand from her hair. "Brooother, I'm eight now!" He laughed at his sister's pouting face. "Anyways, we're going to her house right now! Her name is-"_

"H-Hanji. Hanji Zoe. I'm here." I raised my hand as high as I could without hurting up into the air and watched as she slowly turned her head to the direction where my voice originated, where I am sitting at. Her mouth widened into a smile and while her eyes sparkled with the excitement of seeing me again, there was a sadness hidden behind it, and the smallest glint of hatred, the sadness from when I saw her at Evans's funeral, the hatred of the Titans.

"EVER! My baby little sister!" She ran to me and hugged me tightly, not caring that people were watching the spectacle, not noticing the various healing wounds I had, including my shoulders.

My cheeks first flushed in embarrassment, and my mouth opened to protest that I was nearly twelve now, not a little eight-year-old. However, my mouth closed, and I began to cry.

"Hush, silly. You're at home right now."

* * *

"_Listen, Ever."_

_The young girl looked up. "What is it, Brother?"_

"_If anything happens, just yell out my name, and I'll be there no matter where I am."_

"_B-But… what if you're all up in Sina?"_

_He chuckled and tapped a baby eagle chick's head. "I won't. And even if so, this birdy is going to be all grown up and flying for me before you can even utter another word, so don't worry._

_And suddenly, my view was splattered with red. Red, as in BLOOD RED._

_All of the people I knew in the Survey Corps, Petra, Oluo, Katarina, Levi, Ilse, Erwin, Isabel, Farlan… so many others… They all were strewn across the ground in a bloody mess. I walked up to Levi, frightened, and touched the skin._

_It was cold. So, very cold._

_I jumped back and yelped._

_He was dead._

_And so were the rest of them. All of them._

_I screamed._

"EVER!"

I jolted up, awake, and sweating, and then cringed in pain. Even after a month, and my wounds still refused to heal completely.

"Take it easy, brat. You're going to reopen those wounds if you aren't careful, and I'M not going to responsible." Levi shook his head. "Still, what the hell were you dreaming anyways?"

"I…" My voice trailed off, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to erase the memory of my dead best friend's face from my mind, but the attempt was futile.

"Seriously. What is it?"

"You… You all were dead…" I covered my face with my hands, unable to hold back the tears anymore.

I heard a sigh, and warmth engulfed me.

"Brat."

Levi didn't say any more while he hugged me.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Don't be confused. Ever's background will be unveiled throughout the continuation of this fanfic.**

**I apologize for everything in here... (Please don't kill me for Levi's OOC-ness... A brotherly Levi is REALLY hard to write... Harder than a romantic Levi...) For some reason, I feel as if this is just another mediocre fanfic in the Shingeki no Kyojin tab in this site... Or it may be my low self-esteem acting up.**

**Anyways, go check out authorinprogress97's fanfiction Epic Proportions! It's so much more better than mine, and also one of the first fanfics that I have been really excited about since... Infinite (Which is a Fire Emblem fanfiction by Stormblade3). Go support his/her's fanfiction! You won;t regret it!**

**Reviews, praise, and constructive criticism is always encouraged! (Yes, that was the word I was looking for!)**

**P.S. Katarina Lancer and baby Eren was NEVER supposed to be there. Blame reading too much fanfictions and a really weird dream involving me and Levi.**

**P.S.S. Did I ever mention slow updates?**


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